Double Hearted
by KawaiiBerry-chan
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo was just a normal teenaged human with Shinigami powers and a Hollow in his head. That's normal, right? When he gains Rukia's powers, something else comes out to play as well. Looks like his Hollow is no longer in his head. Shiro/Ichi Yaoi.
1. Separation: The Death and Twin Berries

**Universe: **Bleach

**Parings: **Dark IchigoXIchigo, RenjiXRukia, One-Sided AizenXIchigo

**Spoilers: **Soul Society, Hueco Mundo and Fake Karakura

**Genre: **Adventure, Action, Humor

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

**Warnings:** Swearing, Violence, Swords, Blood and also mild Romance. Rating may or may not change.

**Author's Note:**

**Adopted from Little White Comet!** Enjoy my version of Double Hearted. Oh, and I changed Shiro's name. Technically, he's still 'Shiro' and will be referred to as 'Shiro' later on in the story. Anyway, his name means 'White Sun' if anyone wants to know. Italics without ' before and after means First Person point of view for Ichigo.

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><p><strong>Double Hearted<strong>

**Chapter 1**

**Separation: The Death and Twin Berries!**

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><p>"Kaa-chan! Please, wake up, Kaa-chan!" a 9-year-old Kurosaki Ichigo cried as he sat next to his mother's dead body, shaking her shoulders as if he were trying to wake her up. The rain fell heavily onto him, the cold droplets penetrating his thin plastic raincoat.<p>

"_It's alright, Ichigo."_ The wind whispered, carrying with it the feel of a warm embrace. Ichigo looked up briefly at the sound of his mother's voice on the air currents. No one was there.

"Kaa-chan, I'm sorry! Don't leave me!" The little boy cried, clutching his mother's bloodied hand with his own. The front of his yellow raincoat was covered in red.

"_Ichigo…"_ Sirens sounded in the distance, and he could hear voices. None of them he knew.

"_Be strong, Ichigo."_ he remembered his mother saying to him when he lost to Tatsuki. _"Big Boys shouldn't cry."_ The tears stopped then, and his big brown eyes glanced around wearily. People were standing up on the roadside, glancing down at him from behind the steel barriers. A black and white Mitsubishi Lance Evo III sat on the side of the street, a short man in a dark blue suit with an equally dark police hat making his way towards the orange-haired boy.

"Oi! What happened here, kid? What's your name?" The man, obviously from the Police, came over to the boy and knelt down next to him. Ichigo glanced into the man's dark brown eyes before he looked away again.

"I'm Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo looked up at the police officer, his eyes looking more mature than a nine-year-old boy's eyes should look. "Can you call my dad? He needs to know what happened to Kaa-chan."

The officer blinked in slight shock; this child had most likely just seen his mother killed in front of him, and yet he was so… calm, for lack of a better term.

"Listen, we're gonna take your Kaa-san to the hospital, okay? Do you want to ride with her there, or would you like to go separately?" Ichigo blinked and wiped the rain out of his eyes, shaking his head.

"It's too late, omawari-san.* Kaa-chan's gone." Ichigo mumbled as he slid his eyes down to his blood covered coat. The police officer swallowed thickly, holding his hand out to the young Kurosaki. (*Mr. Policeman)

"Come on, Ichigo-kun. Let's get you out of this rain, and then we'll contact your father, okay?" Ichigo looked at the man's hand, letting go of his mother when the EMS came to put her on a stretcher, and put his smaller, slightly bloody hand into the police officer's larger one.

"**_You'll be okay, Ichigo. You'll see her again someday."_** A voice whispered in his head. Again, there was the imaginary feel of arms wrapping around him in a comforting hug, and his shoulders relaxed as he got into the police vehicle.

_'We'll get the one who did it, right?'_

"_**Yeah, we will. Together."**_

_'Together.'_

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><p><em>Three years passed. I had long since started training in my Mindscape with the Voice, who turned out to look like a carbon copy of myself. It was late April when it happened. I was 12-years-old at the time.<em>

"**_Ne, Aibou? Someone's at the door."_** Ichigo looked up from fixing his tie. He looked around before shrugging on his uniform coat.

_'I'll take care of it when I go out.'_ The preteen sighed to his inner voice. He made his way to the side door. The bell to the clinic rang, and Ichigo frowned. His sisters were still asleep, and his dad was getting ready for the day. Shrugging, he made his way to the clinic's double doors.

"We're closed. The clinic doesn't open until–" he stopped what he was saying as he took in the scene in front of him. A young girl about his age had an older man supported on her back. She was in tears, crying for someone to save her Onii-chan. There had been a car wreck, not too far from the clinic.

_A couple minutes later, I had gotten the two situated with the help of my dad– who had come down at the sound of the clinic bell. Right before the ambulance appeared to take him to Karakura General Hospital, Inoue Sora took his last breath._

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><p>"<em><strong>Aibou, you're being followed."<strong>_ The 'Voice' growled to a 13-year-old Ichigo. He glanced behind him, seeing a group of upperclassmen following him at a distance. He scowled and faced forward, taking a detour into a lone alleyway. There was no way he was going to lead these guys to his house. The group followed after him, and he turned to glare at them.

"Pretty stupid of ya to go into a deserted alley, eh Kurosaki?" the 'leader' of the group snickered. He was surrounded by seven older teens, all of which had some kind of weapon. Ichigo scoffed and spit in his face. The 'leader' growled and made a sign.

The guy to his left charged at him with a switchblade in hand. As he swung his hand down, Ichigo grabbed his wrist, pulled it out of the way, and punched him in the face. The guy to his right made a move to attack, and he spun around, letting go of the other to punch out with his other hand. Another guy came at him with a crow bar, and Ichigo kicked him in the stomach. Three down in less than five minutes.

But he made a mistake. While focusing on the ones in front of him, he forgot the ones behind him. Two of them came out and grabbed his arms, forcing him to the ground. Another came up and hit him over the head with the crowbar, causing him to black out.

When he was conscious again, the leader of the thugs put on a pair of brass knuckles and punched him in the stomach. He coughed, and the two guys holding his arms twisted harder. The guy with the brass knuckles punched out again, catching the orange-haired teen in the jaw. The skin on his lip broke, and blood dripped down his chin. The 'Voice' was screaming at him to fight back, before something really bad happened. One of the other gang members picked up a cement cinder block and smashed it down on his upper back. The two holding his arms let go, and they all started to kick him.

All he could do was curl up and take the hits. The 'Voice' was growling and spitting like a wild cat, clawing at his mind to be let out. His left eye began to change, black creeping into his vision.

And then, everything stopped. They were cries of outrage, yet Ichigo didn't risk looking up. The 'Voice' calmed down, allowing his eye to return to normal once more. He blinked when a body fell into his view, unconscious. There were other 'thud's sounding, and Ichigo looked up to see a tall Mexican punch out and knock out the last of his attackers.

"Are you alright?" was the last thing he heard before his vision went black again.

**One week later**

"Take that you goddamned…!" Another punch was thrown. "You stubborn bastard!" Another one was landed. Yet, he still stood there, bruised and bloodied as they all beat him up. One of them lifted up a rock the size of his head. He could hear the sound of rushed footsteps. Someone was running, whether towards them or away, he couldn't tell. There was a blur of orange and black, and suddenly both attackers were on the ground. The other stood up, revealing the stubborn and cocky teen he saved last week.

"Y-you're…" one of the thugs stuttered. The other teen smirked evilly, and the two thugs ran. "Let's get out of here!" It was so anti-climatic, that he had to sit down on the river bank. He started to finger the Mexican coin around his neck, not even aware that the other was talking to him.

"How come you were so spaced out, Chado?" Ichigo sighed, turning back to the other teen.

"It's 'Sado'."

The other teen ignored him. "You're lucky I was around, you big idiot. If I didn't save your ass, you'd be in a hospital bed!" Ichigo scoffed and sat down next to him, prodding at his bruises. "How come you always let them do this to you? I know you're strong, so why don't you fight back? Why don't you protect yourself like you protected me last week?" the orange haired teen questioned.

"I made a promise." Ichigo looked at the teen incredulously. "I made a promise that I would never use my fists for my own sake." He began fiddling with the coin again. "I made a promise to my Abuelo."

"Abu- what now?"

"'Abuelo'. It means 'Grandpa' in Spanish. His name was Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa" Ichigo sweat-dropped.

"Where is he from?"

"Mexico. Before I came here, I was with him in Mexico."

"Wait a second, last month when you introduced yourself to the class, you said you were from Okinawa!"

"Did I?"

"Forget it! You purposely leave out details, don't you?" Ichigo smiled wistfully. "Well then, if that's how you wanna be, I just won't come to your rescue next time!" Again, he began to fiddle with the coin. "That thing around your neck, is it really special?"

"Yeah, it is. Probably more than my life." Ichigo reached over to touch it, not thinking about how close they were.

"It looks foreign." he observed, feeling out the edges. He blinked up at the larger teen. "Is it from Mexico, too?"

"Yes." Ichigo sighed, sitting back. He looked down when his foot connected with something.

"What's this? I wonder who this belongs too." Ichigo picked up the plastic flip phone, glancing at the screen. _15:58_.

"It might belong to one of those guys." Chad moved to take it from him. "I might as well give it back to them." Before he could see, Ichigo stood up and clutched the phone in his hand.

"I'm throwing this piece of shit away!" he growled, snapping it in half before throwing it in the river. "Screw them!"

**The Next Day**

"It's more important than your life, right?" The thug leader from last week held up his coin, a pair of pliers in his other hand. "So, if you lose this, you die, right?" He held the pliers up to the coin, and smirked at the bound teen in front of him. "So die, dipshit." Chad strained against his binds, his muscles flexing. He could hear running feet again, but he didn't care. This guy was going to pay! "Get 'im–" Like the day prior, Ichigo came running over and jump kicked the guy in the face.

"You friggin'…!" he cussed, squashing the guy into the dirt. He snatched the coin away, and pocketed the smooth gold. "I'll be taking this, thank you very much." He grinned back at the group, smashing his foot back down on the guy he was standing on.

"You're Kurosaki Ichigo from Mashiba Junior High…!"

The orange haired teen knelled down, rummaging through the leader's pockets. "Let's see… Here it is!" he pulled out a cell phone, and smashed his foot back into the other guy's face. "Shut up, Yoko-chin!" He dialed '911' and held the phone up to his ear.

"_This is emergency dispatch, how may I help you?"_ Ichigo smirked at the guys, before answering the woman on the phone.

"Yes, hello? I'd like to request an ambulance?"

"_An ambulance? Where are you located?"_

"Location in under the bridge in 2nd block."

"_How many would you like sent, sir?"_

"How many? Let's see…" he pointed at the thugs, counting them up. "One, two, three, four, five…"

"_Five, sir?"_

"Yeah, five of 'em." In anger, all five thugs charged at him, and this time, he didn't mind letting the 'Voice' out to play. Both eyes changed into golden suns surrounded by night, and he let loose a crazy grin as he fought. All five fell in a matter of minutes, and the 'Voice' sunk back into the recesses of his mind. He collapsed in front of Chad, and held out his friend's coin.

"How about this Chado? You keep doing what you've been doing, and don't hit people for your own sake. In exchange, you hit for my sake, and I'll hit for yours. If it's something you'll risk your life to protect, I'll risk my life to protect it, too, and visa versa. It's a promise, man." Chad nodded his head.

"Yeah." Ichigo grinned and closed one eye, shifting so he could get up.

"Now, let's get you outta those wires."

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><p><em>'Are you sure this is the right place?'<em> 14-year-old Kurosaki Ichigo asked the other voice in his head as he stood outside a traditional Japanese-style building. The sign on the front read, 'Urahara Shōten'. The 'Voice', otherwise known between his host and anyone else in his host's soul as Shirosaki Hishiro, sighed and answered the orange-haired teen.

"_**C'mon, Aibou. You've learned how to suppress your reiatsu and everything about using a katana from the old man, I've taught you how to use Bala and Cero, and now you need to learn the ways of the Shinigami."**_ Hishiro grumbled from the Mindscape. Ichigo sighed himself and slid open the paper shōji door.

"I know, I know." Ichigo groaned under his breath. He stepped into the shop, and glanced around. "Doesn't mean I have to trust him to teach me these things."

"Trust who to teach what?" A rather tall man asked as he stepped out from the backroom of the shop. The man had pale blond wisps of hair covered by a green and off-white striped hat. He was dressed in a dark green kimono with loose matching pants and a black coat with white diamonds decorating the bottom. On his feet, he wore traditional Japanese wooden sandals.

Ichigo blinked and looked away from the man. "Trust you to teach me Zankensoki.*" The man's eyes widened, and he stared at the young teenager in bewilderment. (*Metaphorically, "The ways of the Shinigami." Zan- sword; Ken- hand-to-hand; So- movement; Ki- Demon Arts.)

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><p><em>My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm a human with the powers of a Shinigami, but I can't use my powers to protect just yet.<em>

_Geta-bōshi tells me my Otō-san was the Jū-bantai Taichō of the Gotei Jūsan-bantai*, one of the highest rankings a Shinigami could achieve, which makes me a pure blood Shinigami._ (*Tenth Division Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads.)

_Geta-bōshi also told me that my Kaa-chan had originally been a powerful Hollow called an Arrancar. He said that because she had fallen in love with my Tō-san, he had made her a Gigai that made her powers eventually disappear and her human again. She, like my father, could barely see the world they came from anymore until I was born._

_You see, I was born the perfect mix between Hollow, Human, and Shinigami._

_After Geta-bōshi told me about my Tō-san and my Kaa-chan, I used everything he taught me to protect my two Imōto*, Karin and Yuzu._ (*Little Sister/s)

_However, that changed when a Shinigami appeared before me nearly two years after I started training with Geta-bōshi._

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><p><strong>Friday, May 23rd, 11 p.m.<strong>

"You mean to say there's a Hollow somewhere around here?" Ichigo hissed at the dark-haired midget Shinigami. Solemnly, the girl nodded.

"Yes, that is the case." she sighed looking up from her crudely made drawings.

Ichigo's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped in plain shock. "Are you stupid? Why are you sitting around here for! Go get it!" the redhead huffed with a sense of urgency.

"That's the problem, I can't. The Hollow is hiding in the In-Between, and until it comes out, I can't sense where it is." The Shinigami sighed, and placed her hand to her chin in thought. Suddenly, a roar was heard along with the crashing of a wall being knocked down and the sound of one of his sisters screaming. Both the Shinigami and his own eyes widened at the sound. Ichigo stood up from his bed, and threw open his door. "Wait!" the Shinigami cried, running after him.

Ichigo groaned in exasperation, and turned to the girl quickly. "What? That Hollow is attacking my family!"

"You can't fight. You can't do anything. Stay here, and I'll take care of it!" With that, the Shinigami left with a whisper of Shunpo, leaving Ichigo standing at the top of the stairs alone. With a frown, he obeyed and sat down on the top of the stairs.

It was only a couple of seconds before he could hear the Shinigami struggle with the Hollow. _'What is wrong with her? It can't be too hard to defeat a low-level Hollow!'_ he thought angrily to himself. With a silent snarl, he flew down the stairs to get a better view of the Shinigami in action.

What he saw nearly made him wince in sympathy for the girl. Yuzu lay on the ground, unconscious, while the Shinigami was standing in front of her, her shoulder and part of her side between the Hollow's teeth.

He frowned, and pointed two fingers at the Hollow's feet, whispering "Hadō no 4, **Byakurai**." under his breath. A bolt of white lightning hissed towards the Hollow, striking right in front of it. The effect was instantaneous.

The thing gave of a frightened scream, releasing the Shinigami before tracking back to the In-Between. The Shinigami girl collapsed without the beast's teeth to hold her up. He cursed before he ran over to the wounded warrior.

"I thought you said you could take care of it, Shinigami." Ichigo said with a sarcastic undertone. The Shinigami girl glared up at him as she pushed herself up against the opposite wall.

"Be silent, boy. That Hollow will surely reappear sometime soon to finish off you and your family." The dark-haired Death God groaned at she sat up against the wall. "I have no power to stop it anymore." Ichigo's eyes widened. _'This can't be happening!'_ he thought frantically to his 'Partner'. The Shinigami girl watched as panic rose within the teenager's mind. "…Do you want to save your family…?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo stared at the girl, his eyes narrowing as he tried to decipher what she could do. "Of course I do! But, up against a thing like that as I am now…" he let his eyes trail over the wounds the girl had.

"Then I must make you stronger than you are now." Ichigo looked up at her in shock.

"What? How… You can do that?" he whispered, gazing into the girl's eyes. She nodded stiffly, maneuvering her arm so her Zanpakutō was pointed at the teen's chest.

"Yes, however I cannot say for sure it will work. Take my Zanpakutō, and push it through the center of your chest." Ichigo's eyes widened again as he realized what it was the Shinigami was going to do. "If we do this correctly, you shall become a Shinigami as well."

"_**She's going to sacrifice her powers?"**_ Hishiro murmured within Ichigo's mind, mimicking the redhead's own thoughts.

_'That's a serious crime, one that'll get us both killed.'_ he thought back, both to himself and to his carbon copy.

"If this does not work, no matter how you look at it, we all will die tonight." The Shinigami said gravely. Ichigo looked over at Yuzu, and his thoughts turned over to Karin who was still upstairs covered in blood. With a new resolve, Ichigo turned back to the wounded Shinigami, and held out his hand.

"Give me your sword, Shinigami. We'll see if this idea of yours will work." the Shinigami smiled slightly, and stood up, using the wall behind her as a crutch. They both took one step closer.

"It's not 'Shinigami', boy. It's 'Kuchiki Rukia'." Ichigo wrapped his hand around the guard, looking down on the wounded spirit clothed in black.

"It's not 'boy', Kuchiki Rukia. It's 'Kurosaki Ichigo'." The Hollow appeared once again, standing not too far from the two. Ichigo looked over at the monster, before turning back to what he was about to do. "Let's hope our next meeting isn't so rushed." With that, Ichigo pulled both the blade and the owner closer as the cold metal pierced his chest.

A brilliant white light flashed, blinding everything from view. Soon, the light dimmed to two less massive lights, one silver-ish in color with a tint of light blue, and one the darkest color surrounded by a blood red.

Rukia looked down at herself, happy to see she was still in her black Shihakushō. Sode no Shirayuki was clasped firmly in her hands, the sealed blade coated with a layer of the orange-haired teenager's blood. Once the bright lights dimmed to nothing, she glanced up and gasped.

Two figures stood from where the flash had started, nearly identical looks of confusion on their faces as they gazed at one another.

To her right was the colorful form of Kurosaki Ichigo, dressed in the traditional Shihakushō. In his hand, he held a slightly longer than usual katana. The guard was in the shape of two crescent moons connected back-to-back. The hilt wrappings were pitch black in color, covering a blood red handle.

From his right shoulder down to his left side was a pure white silk ribbon. In the middle was a broach, having the same crescent design as his guard. Attached to the sash was a matching white scabbard with a silver-blue lining.

What surprised her most about him was the way his usually brown eyes glimmered with the same silver-blue hue as the flash of light from earlier.

However, it was the person to her left that surprised her more than anything. The man look exactly like Ichigo, besides a few major differences. For one, he was mostly colorless with white hair and skin, besides his eerie gold eyes. He seemed taller, and more defined than Ichigo himself was. He was dressed in the traditional Shihakushō.

In his hand, he held a katana that looked exactly like Ichigo's, only the colors were opposite. Where Ichigo's hilt wrappings were pitch black, this man's were a pure white. From his left shoulder down to his right side was a pitch black silk ribbon with the exact same broach. The scabbard was black with a blood red lining.

Rukia had not known it yet, but this man was the same creature from Ichigo's Mindscape; Shirosaki Hishiro, or 'Shiro' for short.

The two teenagers glanced at one another once more before the colorful twin moved, cutting off the Hollow's right arm in what looked like a practiced movement. "That's for Yuzu!" Ichigo screamed out. Rukia blinked as she looked on in awe.

"Where did he come from?" she whispered to herself, staring at the carbon copy. _'It should not have happened. No mere mortal can see Shinigami or Hollow. The power transfer would not have worked on a regular spiritually aware human. Kurosaki Ichigo…'_

Again, Ichigo swung his Zanpakutō, slicing through the Hollow's leg with ease. "That's for Karin!" He swung horizontally, slicing through the large beast's midsection. "That's for my Tō-san!" The Hollow screeched out in pain, falling forward towards the two new Shinigami. Ichigo swung down hard, his blade colliding with the Hollow's white mask. "Realize your mistake of messing with my family, and go back to the depths of Hell, Fish-face!"

The Hollow disintegrated, purified by the Zanpakutō which slayed it. The white Ichigo stood by the youngest Kurosaki, crouching down and checking on the girl. He looked up to see his former host panting from exertion, the last bits of the Hollow disappearing. He rushed over to the colorful teen's side, visually checking for any stray damage.

_'…Who **are** you?'_

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><p>Chapter 1 end.<p> 


	2. Separation: Living Gets Harder

**Universe:** Bleach

**Parings: **ShiroXIchigo, RenjiXRukia, One-Sided AizenXIchigo

**Spoilers: **Soul Society, Hueco Mundo and Fake Karakura

**Genre: **Adventure, Action, Humour

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Swearing, Violence, Swords, Blood and also mild Romance.

**Author's Note:**

**Adopted from Little White Comet!** Enjoy my version of Double Hearted.

Damn am I lucky! It wasn't until I realized that I saved my documents on another flashdrive that I was so pissed off to miss my two week deadline. I was freaking out and trying to re-type chapter 2, and I found it on a different flashdrive than I usually use! So, read on and thank the heavens I still had it!

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><p><strong>Double Hearted<strong>

**Chapter 2:**

**Separation: Living Gets Harder**

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><p>"That wasn't supposed to happen." Shiro murmured, looking down at himself. "I knew you would absorb more than necessary, Aibou, but it wasn't supposed to separate us." Ichigo hummed in agreement, sheathing his sword on his back. He looked back over to where Rukia was sitting, having been blown back by the sudden release of spiritual power. His eyes widened in alarm, and he rushed over to her.<p>

"Rukia! You shouldn't be up! Lay down, lay down! You'll make your wounds worse!" Ichigo ushered the girl into a laying position, holding his hands above her wounds.

"Who is that? The man who looks like you. Where did he come from?" she asked, pushing the teen's hands away. "And what are you doing?" Ichigo scowled and slapped the girl's hands away.

"Stop it. I'm trying to fix you up! Swatting me away like that will only make this harder." Rukia stopped and blinked at him, making his eyes narrow in annoyance. He reached up and pressed a point on her neck, forcing her body to go limp. "There! Now I can work without interruption!" He placed his hands back over her wounds and focused his reiatsu to his hands, causing them to glow a light blue.

Rukia looked on from an awkward angle, amazed a human could do healing Kidō. _'I thought it was strange that a mere human with no spiritual power could see me. I guess he was just hiding his presence.'_ She glanced over at Shiro, as he was standing right behind her one-time healer. Her eyes narrowed in thought. _'Considering how much they look alike and how their Zanpakutō are so close in appearance, I'd say he was originally part of Ichigo's soul. The question now is how did he get out?'_

Lost in thought, she almost missed Ichigo saying, "All done!" The teen stood up and brushed his hands against the fabric of his hakama. "You've used up a lot of your natural reiatsu reserves. I suggest getting a Gigai for the remainder of the time you'll be here. You should be just… f-fine." It was about that time Ichigo's eyelids fluttered and his legs gave out from under him. Shiro caught him before he hit the ground, worry and annoyance clear in his eyes.

Gaining feeling in her limbs once more, Rukia pushed herself up to gaze at the orange-haired teen worriedly. "Is he–?" she started to ask before being interrupted by the white being.

"Baka! Ya used up a lot of reiatsu, too." Shiro growled, slowly settling the two of them on the ground. Ichigo carefully brought a trembling hand up to cover his eyes, trying to stop the spinning world around him.

"That may also be because this is the first time out of his human body, right? This happens to all recently dead souls." Rukia explained. Ichigo groaned his agreement, having known about such a symptom since he first started training under the perverted shopkeeper. And speaking of, he could feel the blond's reiatsu only a few feet away, even though it was hidden.

"You can come out now, Kisuke-san. How long have you been there in the shadows?" Ichigo sighed, and the shopkeeper stepped out into the street.

"What ever could you mean, Ichigo-san? I haven't been standing there since that Hollow showed up waiting to offer Kuchiki-san a glitched Gigai. What ever do you mean?" the blond denied, faking a laugh. Shiro growled at the irritating shopkeeper.

"You're pushing it, Geta-bōshi." the pale Hollow warned darkly, tightening his hold on the orange-haired Shinigami. Urahara tilted his hat down to shade his eyes and smiled at the group.

"Always a pleasure, 'Shiro-chan." the pale-haired shopkeeper teased.

"Urusai, Oji-Baka*" Shiro growled, releasing his Aibou as the orange-haired twin struggled to get up. (*Shut up, stupid old man.)

Rukia blinked in confusion, glancing between the Hollow and the exiled Shinigami. Belatedly, she realized the only way that Urahara could have talked to the Hollow was if he had taken over Ichigo's soul previously.

"Now then, Kuchiki-san, how about that Gigai?" the blond shopkeeper asked. The nearly-powerless Shinigami noble glanced at the man warily before standing up slowly. Nodding, she soundlessly moved to stand behind the shopkeeper.

"What about the white Ichigo?" the noble questioned, glancing at the two twins. Urahara put on his 'thinking face' and grinned at the two Deathberries.

"Yes, now what to do about our little Shiro-chan." the Hollow growled loudly at the scrutiny he was put under, and Ichigo sighed. _This is going to be a pain to explain later on._

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, May 24th, 10 a.m.<strong>

Ichigo sighed softly as he snuggled closer to his pillow. It was harder than usual, and moved in rhythm with his own even breathing. Something ran through his hair, and he sighed in sleepy pleasure. There was a pounding rhythm in the background, and he cracked his eye open in annoyance as his pillow rolled off his bed and his father burst into the room.

"GOOD MORNING, ICHIGO!" his boisterous father howled as he tackled the oldest Kurosaki child out of bed. Ichigo growled before kicking his father where it counts and pinning him to the floor. His brown eyes were still hazed in a foggy wakefulness.

"You bastard… You've got some nerve to attack your only son as he sleeps! What kind of parent are you?" Ichigo huffed as he released his father. He blinked the rest of his sleepy mind awake as he gazed at the old goat he called his father. Last night's events flooded his mind instantly. "How are the girls?"

Suddenly serious with a lack of pain from the demoralizing blow, Isshin glanced at his only son and shrugged. "What are you talking about?" the dark haired man asked. "If you mean to ask if they were hurt from the truck that crashed into the house, then they are fine. No one got hurt, and surprisingly, no one woke up!" Ichigo frowned at his father, wondering when the old man would tell him he was a Shinigami. He sighed, something he's been doing a lot in the recent past.

"Whatever Oyaji. Now get out of my room so I can get changed." He kicked the old man out of his room, closing his door on his father and flipping the lock. _'My Tō-san is such an idiot.'_ he sighed, briefly pondering about whether or not his mental connection with Shiro was still in place. Said albino stood up from where he had rolled off the bed, startling the crap out of Ichigo.

"You can say that again, Aibou." the albino growled, rubbing at the back of his head tenderly. Ichigo gasped and fell back against his closet, pointing at the carbon copy.

"S-Shiro! What the hell?" he asked (Read: shrieked) as he clutched at his black long-sleeved shirt he didn't remember putting on.

"No time for questions. Get dressed, Aibou. We're already late for class*." Conveniently, Ichigo completely missed Shiro's use of the word 'we'. (*Will explain at end of chapter.)

* * *

><p><strong>10:45 a.m.<strong>

"He might not come today." Ichigo heard as he strolled up to the classroom. "Ichigo, that is." That was Mizuiro, one of Ichigo's friends he had made at the beginning of the school year.

"Kojima-kun!" That was Orihime, a busty, auburn-haired beauty (from other students point-of-view. Personally, Ichigo didn't care for looks, or gender, to be brutally honest.) that shared a mutual friend with the orange-haired teenager.

"What're you talking about?" Speaking of, that was Tatsuki, a childhood friend of Ichigo's and Orihime's best friend. "Wait, you walk to school with Ichigo everyday. What happened?" Ichigo slid the door open, roaming the classroom with his eyes until he spotted the group of friends talking about him.

"I went by this morning and found a huge gaping hole in the side of his house. Kurosaki-sensei* said that a truck had crashed into it during the night." Ichigo scoffed, walking towards the group. (*Kurosaki-sensei is the same thing as saying Dr. Kurosaki.)

"WHAT? Is he okay?" Tatsuki asked, worried for her childhood friend. "Was he hurt? Or worse, is he dea-?" Having enough of it, Ichigo swung his bag up and into the dark-haired girl's head, interrupting her worrying.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm still in one piece, and so is everyone else." The relief on the two girls' faces was very noticeable. Turning to Mizuiro, he asked, "What's 3rd period?" Mizuiro was about to answer, before Ichigo was suddenly tackled out of his seat by a white blur.

"Ichi! You left without me!" His once-inner-now-outer Hollow wailed falsely, squeezing his orange-haired twin.

"S-S-Shiro! What are you doing here?" he asked the albino twin.

"What do you think?" the pale Hollow scoffed, glancing over at his twin. "Our stupid uncle is forcing me to come to school with you while we're in town." he lied, mentally telling Ichigo they'd talk with the midget later. Confused, Ichigo looked up to see Rukia standing there, a sweet smile on her face.

"So you must be Kurosaki-kun, right?" She held out her hand, her smile sickeningly sweet. "It is a pleasure to meet you." On her palm was written, _Say something, and I'll kill you slowly._ Wisely, Ichigo decided to say nothing besides,

"Yeah, a pleasure."

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, June 7th, 7:37 p.m.<strong>

"This is so boring!" Shiro whined as he brought his reverse Zanpakutō down on the head of the Hollow he was fighting. Ichigo landed next to him, sheathing his Zanpakutō with a 'click' as the Hollow disappeared.

"We've gotta deal with it, Shi. You know what will happen if they find out Rukia isn't doing her job." The two teens frowned at the thought.

"This has Geta-bōshi written all over it." Shiro grumbled as he followed suit and sheathed his Zanpakutō.

"Just be glad that he's not making you work at the shop in payment for that Gigai you've been using." Speaking of, Shiro slipped into said faux body just as Ichigo slid into his. Shiro was wearing Ichigo's 'Nice Vibe' T-shirt, a pair of dark skinny jeans, and a pair of black high-top converse. Ichigo was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with 'Speaking is **NOT** communication' written across the front, a pair of white-washed jeans, and a pair of Nike sneakers.

Both had promised the crazy shopkeeper they'd make it look like the midget Shinigami was doing her job while she recovered the little amount of reiatsu she lost.

"Why can't Kuchiki help us out? She still has the majority of her Shinigami powers, doesn't she?" the albino asked. Ichigo yawned and leaned up against his counterpart. He was so tired after chasing after Hollows day and night. Keeping his human life in balance with his Shinigami life was getting very hard even though he had only be at it for a week. Neither teen had been getting any sleep, and it was starting to show with their short tempers.

"You know the answer to that, Shiro." Ichigo yawned again, rubbing at his eyes. "Let's get home, I'm in major need of a nap."

Shiro sighed and wrapped an arm around the other, guiding him towards the park exit. What a perfect place for Hollows to appear.

"Kurosaki-kun! Shirosaki-kun!" The two boys had to stop and turn at the sound of their names being called. Inoue Orihime was running towards them, a yellow floral skirt around her waist and a purple button-down blouse stretched over her impressive bust.

Ichigo pulled away from the pale teen, a cute almost-pout on his face. "Ah, hey Inoue." he muttered awkwardly. Shiro sighed at his ex-host and nodded at the auburn haired girl before looking away. The trio started to walk once more, talking all the while.

"Fancy meeting you here, in the park of all places." the girl giggled, twisting her hands around the plastic shopping bag she held. "So, what were you guys doing?" Ichigo faltered in his steps before rubbing at his left shoulder with his right hand.

"We were just out for a walk. What about you?" he asked, ignoring how Shiro sighed.

The pale Hollow had never like the female to begin with. Something about her didn't sit right with him, and he considered the other a threat to his 'King'. He ignored the unsettling feeling, however, as he stepped closer to the orange-haired teen.

"I was just doing some dinner shopping. Sweet bread with wasabi and bean paste, a side of buttery onion-tossed bananas, and gelatin on chocolate ice cream for dessert!" Both boys went green at the thought of eating that. It was then that Ichigo noticed the bandage around the upper part of the girl's arm.

"What happened to your arm?" he asked, pointing at the girl's left arm. Shiro growled under his breath.

"Oh this? I was run over." the ditzy girl chirped. Shiro snickered, bursting into laughter at the glare Ichigo sent him for doing so.

"Run over? You mean by a car?"

"_**What else could she be run over by? A bike?"**_ Shiro snickered over their mental link. Orihime began to retell last night's events, Shiro laughing quietly in the background. When he calmed down enough, he glanced down, seeing the bruise that marked up the girl's left leg as well.

"–be angrier!" he heard Ichigo shout. He ignored the conversation, looking at the bruise. It didn't feel right…

"That's a nasty bruise you got there." he said, startling the two redheads. Orihime jolted back, looking down at her leg as well.

"This? I had it last night, so it must've been from when that car hit me." Brown eyes narrowed.

"Can I take a look?" Ichigo asked. Orihime blushed as he got down on one knee to look at the mark. He scowled at the chilling feel he got from it now that he was closer. "It looks painful." he commented after a while. Orihime gasped.

"Now that you mention it, it hurts worse than my arm."

"Has someone taken a look at that yet? You need to go see a doctor!" Orihime stuttered at his show of concern, blushing soon after. "Why does that make you blush?" the orange-haired teen asked confused. Shiro snorted from behind him, shaking his head at the other teen's naivety.

"Oh my! Look at the time!" Orihime cried out as she looked down at her watch. Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest, blinking at the girl.

"In a hurry?" he asked as the girl ran ahead of them.

"Yes! Laugh Hour is almost on, and I need to prepare some tea for when Tatsuki-chan comes over later."

"Okay then. Be careful, Inoue." The girl waved the affirmative, and rushed away. When she turned the corner, Ichigo turned back and laid his head against his partner's shoulder with a weary sigh. "Did'ya feel tha'?" the teen slurred sleepily. Shiro nodded as he guided the other home.

"Her wounds reeked of Hollow."

* * *

><p>Ichigo groaned as he stepped into his house. "Rukia!" he called as he kicked off his shoes by the door. The twins had both gone with his father to a business meeting and wouldn't be back for a couple of days. Until then, Rukia was sleeping in his sister's room.<p>

Shiro sighed as he closed the door behind him and followed Ichigo up the stairs. "That midget better not be in our closet again."

Pushing open the door with the number '15' on it, the two boys stopped short when they saw Rukia sitting on their bed. A black marker was in her hand, and Ichigo's second favorite T-shirt was on her lap. It wasn't hard to tell what the girl had been doing while they were gone.

"Damn it! I told you to stop drawing on my clothes!" Ichigo screamed, tearing the fabric away from her.

"It's not my fault your clothes are so bland!" She kicked Ichigo in the knee, causing him to tumble back into his albino partner. Shiro growled as he sat Ichigo down on the bed, advancing on the black haired Shinigami.

"Don't. Do. That. _Ever_. Again." he snarled, flicking the girl in the head. Rukia shivered at the malicious feel of the other's reiatsu. She cleared her throat, and the pale teen backed away.

"Anyway, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" she asked, watching the albino as he poked the area she had kicked. She winced as Ichigo yelped and bit his lip. She hadn't meant to kick him _that_ hard. Okay, maybe she had.

"Inoue Orihime is being targeted by a Hollow." Shiro scowled, pouring his reiatsu into the abused spot to heal it. Ichigo smiled up at him shortly, before turning back to the other person in the room.

"What?" Rukia gasped, looking at the two. Ichigo extended his leg testily, and told the older girl about the incident earlier at the park.

"She said she was hit by a car, but the bruise on her leg was covered in Hollow reiatsu." he finished. Rukia narrowed her eyes as she placed her hand on her chin.

"Does Inoue have any dead relatives?" she asked, glancing back over at the two. Ichigo nodded slowly, and Shiro kept silent.

"Yeah, one. Her older brother, Sora." Rukia blinked, urging Ichigo to continue on. "Three years ago, she came to the clinic with her older brother on her back. I remember it so clearly, since I was the one who opened the door. There had been a car accident down on the corner street. He died before the ambulance came to bring him to the hospital."

"Three years? That should be… You said she was being targeted by a Hollow, right?" Both boys froze, and looked at her with wide eyes. Shiro began to growl as what she was implying registered in his mind.

"You can't mean…" Ichigo started to say, swallowing thickly. Rukia looked at the two with a serious look in her blue-violet eyes.

"Inoue Sora has turned into a Hollow and is going after the soul of Inoue Orihime."

* * *

><p>Inoue Orihime found herself confused and afraid.<p>

At first, she was having dinner with her best friend Tatsuki-chan. They were chatting and laughing while watching tv. Then, her favorite stuffed bear tore, and everything went black.

When she woke up again, there were two 'Tatsuki-chan's. One Tatsuki-chan was slumped over in the corner, blood dripping down the side of her face, while the other was staring at herself halfway across the room.

Just like Tatsuki-chan, she was also staring at another 'her' across the room. There was a chain connecting the two 'Tatsuki-chan's and the two 'her's together, and a giant snake-like monster hovered over her.

And then, the giant monster is claiming to know her. When it was about to attack her, it was stopped by two opposite swords, which brings her to the next, and final, point.

Both her Prince Charming, Kurosaki Ichigo, and the new transfer student, Shirosaki Hishiro, stood in front of her, two identical, yet completely different colored swords in their hands. Both were wearing black samurai outfits.

Even with her wild imagination, Orihime had to admit to herself that this was a bit too far.

Ichigo was knocked out of her apartment, and then the monster spat something at him that made him scream in pain and drop his sword. Hishiro-kun got angry, and sliced the monster down in one swing.

"I'll take care of clean-up, as usual." Kuchiki Rukia-san sighed from the door.

Yeah, Kuchiki-san was there too, in yellow pajamas. She held out a small candy dispenser-looking thing, and pressed a button. There was a flash of light and a little 'boing' sound of a tightly coiled spring.

Orihime blinked a couple of times before her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she fainted.

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday, June 10th, 10:23 a.m.<strong>

Chad couldn't see what was going on. All he knew was that Ichigo was passed out on the ground, unmoving. The two transfer students were standing next to him, staring at something. They seemed to know what was going on, despite standing next to an unconscious teen.

When asked what happened to the orange-haired teen, the albino transfer student cradled the unconscious teen in his arms before telling the giant to take the bird and Ichigo and hide in a safe place. The other transfer student said Ichigo was in the middle of a battle, but that made no sense. The teen was right there in his arms, clearly not fighting.

There was an explosion, and Chad stood off to the side after setting Ichigo down in a safe place under the watchful eyes of the pale student. It made him wonder what the connection between the two was.

Then everything was quiet. The transfer students were talking with the parakeet, Shibata Yūichi, about some place called 'Soul Society'. He didn't understand any of this, so he stayed quiet, like always. Yūichi agreed to something, Chad didn't know what, before turning his head to look at him.

The 'cursed' parakeet thanked him for everything, and for a second, he could have swore he saw the after image of a little curly haired boy smiling at him. He made a request, one he hoped he could keep, before the intelligence that was once in the bird's eyes disappeared with the 'cursed soul'.

"Bye, Yūichi." he rumbled quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday, June 17<strong>**th**

"You insufferable, cowardly, regret-less bastard!" Ichigo snarled as he swung his Zanpakutō down on the Hollow's flank, the purifying metal sinking deep into fur-covered skin. The Grand Fisher gave of a pained scream, clawing at the orange-haired Shinigami.

Ichigo growled again, his teeth gritted as he reveled in the pain he was causing the soulless murderer.

"Do you feel that? Take that pain and multiply that by one hundred, and you don't even have _half_ of what my family felt as you tore apart my mother! Remember that pain, I'll give it to you tri-fold!" Ichigo screamed, rain pouring from the sky and mixing with his tears. "I'll kill you… I'll kill you! You don't deserve mercy for what you have done!"

The pure white blade sliced across clumps of fur, tearing off chunks of the connected skin. Dark blood smeared across the orange-haired teen's face.

Shiro kept both himself and Rukia silent and still as his orange-haired twin tore apart the Hollow currently trying to run away. Despite the fact he had promised Ichigo they'd take on the Hollow together, Ichigo's pride was on the line, and the pale twin had no right to interfere.

If he hadn't been expecting for Ichigo to fight with so much anger and hate clouding his usually sensible mind, he, too, would have been shocked at the amount of gore the teenager was creating. It didn't help that the Grand Fisher was stupid enough to try and defeat the enraged teen with the image of the boy's mother. Surely, if, at this point in time, Ichigo had not been as severely injured as he was, the Grand Fisher would be dead.

"**You can't kill me, boy! You can't hurt your precious 'Kaa-chan'!"** With those parting words, the Masaki-look alike launched into the air and disappeared, drawing out outrageous screams from the orange-haired Shinigami below.

"You bastard! Get back here! This fight isn't over…!" Shiro ran over to his counterpart, holding the weakening teen back from going after the Hollow.

"It _is_ over, Ichi. He's gone, the fight has ended." Ichigo still struggled, but only barely, to weak for anything stronger.

"Not yet!" Ichigo cried out, clutching at his partner's clothes. "He's not dead yet! I haven't avenged her!" His knees gave out as his voice broke off into sobs, and Shiro lowered the two of them gently to the ground. The wounds were bleeding out horribly, causing the orange-haired teen to look paler then normal. Tears streamed down his cheeks, washing away with the rain.

"I-I haven't avenged her!" Shiro held tight to his twin, smoothing out his hair. "W-why? Why was I so weak that I couldn't save her memory? Save her on that day? Why?"

Ichigo buried his face into Shiro's black kimono and screamed out in pure agony, half in mental pain, half in physical. Shiro wrapped his arms around the boy in his lap, shushing him and humming to him like his mother would.

It was the only thing he could do at a time like this.

* * *

><p>Like I promised, I'll explain to you the whole 'School-on-a-Saturday' thing. In Japan, schools have the choice of five-days-a-week or five-and-a-half-days-a-week education systems. Monday-Friday, and then a half of Saturday. Also, the Japanese school years starts differently from ours here in America. In Japan, school starts in April, and ends in March. Along with a 'longer school year', the Japanese also have longer breaks. They usually have the last two weeks of July off and all of August off for Summer break. They get the same two-weeks-off Winter break, and a month long Spring break in March, signaling the end of the schools' trimester terms.<p> 


	3. Separation: Living With the Consequences

**Universe:** Bleach

**Parings: **ShiroXIchigo, RenjiXRukia, One-Sided AizenXIchigo

**Spoilers: **Soul Society, Hueco Mundo and Fake Karakura

**Genre: **Adventure, Action, Humour

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Swearing, Violence, Swords, Blood and also mild Romance.

**Author's Note:** Ah! It's been a while… There goes my plan of updating once every few weeks, eh? Heh heh heh… Sorry about that. I have no excuse. I'm a procrastinator, but I'm trying to kick the habit! Anyone have any ideas that could help me stop putting things off? Other than, you know, stop putting things off? I need more self-discipline.

**Adopted from Little White Comet!** Enjoy my version of Double Hearted.

* * *

><p><strong>Double Hearted<strong>

**Chapter 3:**

**Separation: Living with the Consequences**

* * *

><p><strong>Friday, July 19, 2:53 p.m.<strong>

"Damn it! How many times is this going to happen?" Shiro growled, watching as Ichigo konso'ed yet another soul on a Hollow hunt. The catch was that there was _no Hollow_. Irritated, the two boys got back into their body/Gigai.

"That phone of yours must be broken, Rukia." Ichigo sighed in agreement, dusting off his clothes. The petite woman frown, clicking through her phone.

"That's not possible…" the only female in the trio said, pausing for a moment before adding, "I think."

"_You_ _think_?" The twins shouted, turning back towards the female. Rukia cringed before glaring at the two. Just as she was about to scream at them, another voice chipped in.

"Fighting amongst yourselves? How disgraceful." The trio turned around to see a teenaged boy with glasses standing perfectly straight on the sidewalk behind him. He had on a high-collared white coat that fell to mid-thigh and matching ankle-length slacks. Ichigo's face lit up slowly in recognition, and he blinked at the kid.

"Ishida Uryū." he mumbled to himself, catching Shiro's attention.

"_**Ya know 'im, Ichi?"**_ the pale twin asked over their mental link, glancing over at the other teen.

"_Yeah, he's the top student in our class."_ The twins shared a look, before realizing they were missing out on what the other teenager was saying.

"I am Ishida Uryū, and I am a Quincy." The dark-haired teenager glared at the oranget, completely ignoring the other two. "I hate Shinigami."

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, July 20, 8:47 a.m.<strong>

The next day shows the twins standing by the class roster to see if their scores were on the Top 50 board for the final exams. It didn't take the orange-haired Kurosaki long to spot his name.

**1. Kurosaki Ichigo 897**

"Ok, I stand corrected. I'm the top student in our class." Ichigo sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He looked over at his Ex-Inner Hollow with a smile and pointed at the board. "Look Shiro. You're up there, too." Shiro looked at the board, spotting his name towards the middle of the board.

**23. Shirosaki Hishiro 581**

Shiro grinned sheepishly and shrugged, clothes-lining Keigo at the same time as his colorful look-alike when the brunette came crying over to them. Chad came up behind them to look at the board as well, nodding to himself before he pointed to the board for the twins to see what got his approval.

**11. Sado Yasutora 769**

Keigo screamed in horror, and ran away from the three with Mizuiro right on his heels. The twins blinked, and Ichigo shook his head with a sigh. They had to get to class soon, or they'd get in trouble.

Shiro followed after his colorful copy, catching the eye of the Quincy boy. With a smirk, he started pushing Ichigo in front of him to go faster.

* * *

><p><strong>12:27 p.m.<strong>

Ishida Uryū was no idiot. His father made him do his homework as soon as he got home, and made sure he studied his school books until it was time for dinner. After dinner, he picked up one of his father's medical textbooks and began reading that until he went to bed.

So, how had Kurosaki Ichigo beat him by one point on the final exams?

What the young Quincy didn't know, however, was that Kurosaki Ichigo had to memorize his school books on the first day of high school to make time for training with Urahara Kisuke. If he had a question on his homework, he would ask the genius shopkeeper for help.

The oranget had always been one step ahead of him, whether it be in school or in tactics. So when the teen had followed him home, he had to try to figure out _why?_ When he let the other know he was aware of him following him, the teen had stopped, blinked, and said, "You're smarter than to think that I was the one unaware." Kurosaki had known that _he_ had known that the oranget was following him.

With a few words thrown around, a technique shown off, and a temper that failed to be riled, Ishida Uryū was at a loss as to what to do. However, it did not pass his attention that the white copy of Kurosaki's was not around. "Your pet decide he didn't want to stay around you anymore?" It was a mistake to say that.

"Shiro is with a very smart shopkeeper, preparing for the duel." _The duel?_ It had confused the Quincy at first, before the orange-haired Shinigami pointed at the coin-like bump in the pocket of his school shirt. "After all, with you planning to put the whole town's lives in jeopardy, back-up will be needed."

It took two seconds before the bait was crush and the first roar of a Hollow sounded.

* * *

><p>Kurosaki Karin looked up at the sky, the football rolling towards her stopping at her feet. Her eyes widened at the loud growl that sounded, her skin paling quickly. Something wasn't right, something was watching her. She shook her head.<p>

There was nothing to worry about. It was just her mind acting up, still reeling from seeing her brother running around in that black outfit with their pale 'cousin'.

She turned away and kicked the black and white ball back over to her teammates. She didn't notice the giant monster glaring at her from above.

* * *

><p>Arisawa Tatsuki sighed and threw a towel across the back of her neck. She took a sip of her water, and gazed out at the courtyard in front of her. More correctly, at the ghost couple in front of her. With a grunt of disgust, she moved to go back inside only to be stopped by someone calling out her name.<p>

Inoue Orihime came running up to her, and stumbled over her words. Every since that day at Orihime's house, the two girls slowly started to see ghosts.

Screams sounded, and Tatsuki looked over before dragging Orihime off to check it out. She ignored the distortion in the sky.

* * *

><p>Sado Yasutora was walking through the streets of Karakura with two of his bandmates. Something didn't feel right, and he looked up to the sky. The faint ripple across the sky wasn't normal, but nothing was happening so he ignored it.<p>

"Something up, Chado?" Shigeo, one of his bandmates, asked.

With a 'hmm', the subject was dropped and they continued browsing through the shops.

* * *

><p><strong>2:36 p.m.<strong>

Ichigo regretted antagonizing the Quincy into breaking the Hollow bait. Hollows overrun the streets, flooding the roof tops and causing havoc all over the place. It had taken awhile, but eventually he had made his way back to where the Quincy was. Unsurprisingly, Kon was clutching to Rukia. The Quincy seemed angry at himself, and explained the reason for him thinking up the duel. Shiro had appeared next to the oranget during the story, missing the first half of it. At the end, the two shared a look that made the pale twin angry.

With a hand on the pale twin's shoulder, Ichigo looked to the teenaged Quincy. "Don't you get it?" the oranget asked. Uryū looked up to the Shinigami. He didn't understand; what was he was to 'get' during this battle? He had killed 12 Hollows, but more had been coming. How many had the Shinigami gotten?

"I don't understand." It was a statement, not a question. Ichigo sighed, and unsheathed his sword, causing the Quincy teen to take a step back.

"Your sensei didn't want you fighting the Shinigami. That much I could tell. He wasn't telling you that the Shinigami should acknowledge the Quincies' strength, rather that Shinigami and Quincies should be fighting together!"

And together they fought. Until a large Hollow known as a Menos Grande: Gillian rank showed up. Nothing they did worked. Not even combining their power by tying a sword to Ishida's head. The twins looked worried, and looked up to see the giant Hollow charging a red beam. _"Cero!"_

Ichigo pushed Uryū back, and ran next to Shiro to stop the Cero from demolishing them. Crossing their blades, they slid back at the impact the energy beam made with their swords. It was a struggle to keep his arm up, yet Ichigo could feel his reiatsu rise to fight off the outside pressure. Shiro already knew what was happening, and added his reiryoku to the mix. With a yell, Ichigo pushed back on the energy and released some of his own into the attack as Shiro pulled away.

"_**A premature Getsuga Tenshō…"**_ Ichigo glanced over at the other with a questioning look, before his eyes widened as he fell to the ground face first. Shiro called for him, but his voice sounded like it was muffled by something. For the first time in a long time, Ichigo had no clue what was happening. A sudden pain ripped through his whole person, and his mouth opened, releasing a loud, agonized scream. "Ichigo! Let go of your Zanpakutō!" Ichigo did so, but the blade shimmered and distorted, and it still felt like his soul was being torn apart.

"_Son'nani itai… Shiro!*"_ Ichigo's arm flickered into near-translucence. With the flick of his wrist, Uryū released an arrow, and another one, and another one. He continued to do so, sprouting nonsense of how Ichigo should live so he could beat him. ("It's so painful… Shiro!")

With one last arrow, Uryū collapsed, and Ichigo lost consciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>Monday, July 22, 2:32 a.m.<strong>

Shiro saw it when that red-headed Shinigami ripped his Zanpakutō through Ichigo's shoulder. When the teen fell to his knees, he had to stop himself from running to the boy. It helped that Kisuke had a firm grip on his shoulder to stop him from doing so. If he were to run out… who knows what they'd do to Ichigo and him.

But he could help from his place. He focused his influence on Ichigo, watching as the teen grabbed a hold of his dropped asauchi and stood on his feet once more. Shiro added his reiatsu to the mix, feeling Ichigo's spiritual pressure increase as well. And, just like that, Ichigo was fighting once more.

A mirror injury on the red-headed Shinigami's shoulder. A cut from the inside of one of the man's tattooed eyebrows to the center of his hairline. Swinging his sword once more, Ichigo grinned in pure glee as blood splashed against his face, none of it his own. Unconsciously, he release more of his reiatsu, paralyzing the red-head to his knees.

Just as suddenly that he got the rush of power, it stopped as his blade was chipped and a scream of pain sounded out in his head. He looked down at the blemish in disbelief. From ten feet away, the raven-haired Shinigami looked at him, rolling a piece of his sword in between his fingers, careful to to cut the delicate skin. And then he disappeared.

Ichigo knew what was going to happen, the guy had used Shunpo to get behind him. But he was taught Zankensoki for two years before this. He moved his blade to block the blade that would've pierced his skin, but he was too slow. He felt it pierce through his chest, and retract just as quickly. He couldn't move when he felt the second strike pierce through his abdomen. Shiro felt himself lose form, and looked down at himself in alarm. Translucent, he could see the outline of Kisuke's coat behind him. He looked back up, and growled as Rukia kicked Ichigo's hand from the raven-haired Shinigami's hakama. They left with Rukia trailing behind, just as rain started to fall from the sky.

Shiro ran up to his fallen ex-host. His hands passed through the boy's spiritual one as they both let out a distressed cry. "Shiro… I was protected yet again…!" the oranget cried, fingers clutching at nothing where Shiro's hand should have been.

He whisper of, _**"I know."**_ resonated around as his form disappeared into the soul plain he came from. Kisuke sighed and moved to stand next to the broken boy, holding an umbrella over the two of them. He glanced over at the Quincy teen who was watching the whole thing silently, forgotten, and sighed.

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday, July 23, 7:49 p.m.<strong>

Ichigo struggled to breathe as he ducked under a punch thrown by Ururu, one of Kisuke's assistants. His chest was tight and his legs refused to move as he wanted them. What happened to all his previous training? Where was the skills he mastered? What happened to Shiro? The albino had yet to reappear to him, and it really bothered him.

He ran, dodging another punch. It got easier, breathing, that is. Actually, he didn't notice it got easier until Kisuke called time. Of course, that was after he had grazed her cheek with a punch and gotten kicked into the wall in return.

He was forced to his knees, and Tessai cut his Inga no Kusari a little too close for comfort, the chain dangling down and barely reaching the bottom of his ribcage. And then he fell into what will later be know as the 'Shattered Shaft'.

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday, July 24, 5:50 a.m.<strong>

It hurt. Every hour on the dot the chains restarted the encroachment process. It was his way of telling time. Jinta came down with a plate of food, despite him not feeling hungry. He'd been down there for ten hours already, closing in on Kisuke's twelve hour estimate.

He had about five chain links left, but he remembered what Kisuke had told him about the final encroachment process. He had about five minutes before it took place. It was all the time he needed.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the center of his chest, right below the metal plate that held his Inga no Kusari. He felt the final encroachment begin to take place, and fell into his inner world before the pain could register.

"**So, you have finally come, Ichigo."**

Ichigo turned around and faced the man caped in black. He knew who this man was. "You're my Zanpakutō Spirit." Two years of talking with this man, and not once had he told the oranget his name. "Why?" He did not fear the other not understanding his question.

"**You were not ready. Still are not ready, as fear clouds your mind and blocks your senses."** His inner world shook and began to dissolve. **"Time is running out."**

Gravity shifted, and Ichigo looked around as he fell towards the 'ground', watching as boxes fell with him. Unconsciously, he solidified the ground beneath him. "What do I have to do, Ossan*?" (*Old man)

His Zanpakutō spirit looked down on him, and simply said, **"Find me, and you'll find the one you're looking for."**

It didn't take a genius to figure out he was talking about Shiro's not-so-mysterious disappearance. And by finding 'him', obviously he was talking about his Zanpakutō form.

"_Did you know that a Shinigami's reiraku* was red?"_ Wasn't that what Uryū had said? (*Spirit Thread)

Of course, he had known this thanks to Kisuke, but the memory itself was a giant kick-start to his search for his Zanpakutō. With a pull to the surroundings, ribbons of white appeared around him, all attached to a box of its own. A lone red ribbon floated past his face, and he grabbed it, following it back to the box it belonged to.

With a yank, the box opened and revealed a Zanpakutō's hilt. Wasting no time, Ichigo reached out and _pulled_. Something wrapped around his wrist, and with a smile, he helped the other part of him out of his temporary prison.

"Welcome back, Shiro." Ichigo sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around the waist of his albino counterpart. Shiro blinked in surprise, and grinned, returning the hug.

"_**It's good to be back, Aibou. It was dark in that box."**_ The two boys laughed as they disappeared from their Inner World, missing the Zanpakutō's amused smile.

* * *

><p>"Come on boys! You'll never pass if you hide!" Kisuke trilled as Ichigo hid himself behind a rock on the other side of the underground training area.<p>

_'I knew he was a Shinigami, but shit! Kisuke knows how to really freak someone out when he wants to!'_ Ichigo groaned as Shiro 'Ninja-rolled' behind the rock on the other side of the one he was hiding behind.

_**'You can think twice about that.'**_ Shiro grumbled over their mind-link. There was a few tense seconds after the comment and a large explosion as the shopkeeper kept looking for them on the other side of the training grounds, and the two teens sighed graciously at the small reprieve from running.

That is, until the overzealous shopkeeper appeared in front of them. "I've got you now!" The cane-turned-Zanpakutō sliced towards the oranget first. With a curse, the teen dove under the swing, somersaulting over to the other teen.

Helping the oranget up, Shiro pulled him aside as Kisuke swung at them once more. The chase had resumed with the two boys running side by side. Neither one noticed how their hands were still connected, despite the fact they pulled the other out of the way of one of Kisuke's attacks every so often.

"Have you heard him yet?" Shiro asked as Ichigo dragged him behind another rock. Panting, the oranget shook his head in the negative.

"No, not yet. Ossan said something about fear blocking my senses, and with Kisuke-san as crazy as he is, it's very hard to not be afraid." The oranget sighed and tilted his head back against the rock. "What about you?"

With a grunt, Shiro ran a hand through his white hair as he repeated the other teen's action of disagreement, unsettling the stray pieces of sand that clung to the snowy locks from every tumble he took while trying to get away from the crazed shopkeeper.

The rock behind them exploded, sending them forward from the blast. Tired from running so much, Ichigo wasn't able to keep control of himself anymore. He shrieked, something he would deny he did vehemently in the future.

Someone grabbed the back of his Shihakushō, throwing him to the ground. He knew Kisuke was an exiled Taichō of the Gotei 13, he knew that meant the man was able to kill him, and he knew that given the chance, perhaps the man _would_. Without thinking, he rolled to the side as the shopkeeper swung his Zanpakutō down once more, scrambling to his feet, and grabbing a hold of Shiro's hand once more.

But the other didn't budge, his eyes looking in front of him with a clear resolve. Wondering what he was looking at, Ichigo glanced up from the ground, his honey brown eyes meeting the hidden blue of his Zanpakutō Spirit.

"**Why do you run?"** Neither one of the two look-a-likes said anything. With a shared glance, they knew the point the brunet was trying to make. **"There is nothing to run from. Your fear is blocking you from hearing me."** The brunet reappeared behind the two teens, laying both hands on their shoulders. **"There is only one enemy, yet there is two of you. What is there to fear?"**

With their hands still clasped together, the two teens clutched at the hilts of their Zanpakutō.

"**Cast away that fear."**

With a calming breath, they held the blade-less hilts to their side, the tips touching as their reiatsu began to rise.

"**Look forward."**

Kisuke held his Zanpakutō up, watching as the teenagers' reiatsu began to make the sand around them levitate with their power.

"**Go forward."**

Their eyes closed, the two teenagers never saw the nearly-transparent pillar of silver-blue and blood-red reiryoku that surrounded them.

"**Never stand still."**

With the words of their Zanpakutō reverberating in their mind, the pillar of reiryoku converged towards the two blade-less Zanpakutō, repairing the blades.

"**Retreat and you will age."**

"Now that's impressive." Kisuke murmured as he let his sword arm drop slightly.

"**Hesitate and you will die!"**

With their blades fully repaired and full of reiryoku, they both opened their eyes, the orbs glowing with the color of their reiatsu.

_**"Sakibe,"**_* (Shout,)

"**My name is–!"**

"_**Zangetsu!"**_ Swinging around, the two teens released their Zanpakutō back to back. Dual energy slashes advanced towards the blond shopkeeper, blowing over him like a strong gale. The wind from the attack picked up sand and dust, causing a cloud of it to hide the teens from view.

As the dust cloud cleared away, Kisuke peered out from under his hat and looked over towards his students. Both Ichigo and Shiro were kneeling on the ground, still back to back. Lodged into the ground were two very alike, yet different, cleaver-like swords. With either a white cloth-wrapped tang, or a black one, neither one of the swords had a hilt or a guard.

Both of the teens stood up, examining their Zanpakutō's new form. While Ichigo's blade was black with a silver edge, Shiro's blade was silver with a black edge.

The two boys looked to each other, their Zanpakutō held in different hands. They could feel the power surging through their bodies, causing their eyes to glow silver-blue and blood red once more.

_'Ichigo-san alone could give the Taichō a run for their money… But now, with Shiro-chan at his side…'_ Pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, he smiled at the two teens in front of him. "Very good you two! Now we can really begin lesson three!"

"Warī*, Kisuke-san." Ichigo muttered as he held his Zangetsu out in front of him. (*Sorry)

Shiro grinned wide, his left arm coming up to hold his inverted Zangetsu out as well. "You better hide well and hope you dodge this."

Kisuke blinked at the two, the smile on his face wavering only slightly. "Hai?*" (*_Hai_ has many meanings, like 'yes!' or 'yessir!', but when said with a questioning tone, it can mean, 'Excuse me?' or 'I beg your pardon?')

"We probably can't control it just yet..." The two teens raised their blades above their heads, gathering their rampant energy within the swords.

"Since this is the first time we've tried this out on a real person!" With that said, Kisuke's eyes widened from under the shadow of his hat. He brought his Zanpakutō up just as the two boys started to swing their blades down.

"Nake, Benehime!" The blond called out, hastily calling out one of his sword's abilities.

"Sōseiji Getsuga!"* Two energy slashes flew his way, carving out the ground in their path. The attack shattered his Chikasumi no Tate* after it passed by, leaving every part of him unharmed; aside from his hat, of course. (*"Twin Moon Fang!"; *Blood Mist Shield)

As the pieces of the shredded hat fell to the dirt ground of the underground training room, Ichigo collapsed against his colorless counterpart, breathless and exhausted. His amber eyes slid to half-mast, his consciousness slipping away as Shiro lifted him into his arms like a newly married couple without any resistance. Zangetsu dug into the ground from where he hung from Ichigo's grasp.

Coughing and slapping away the dust picked up from the attack, Kisuke looked over at the pair. "If I hadn't have put up my Chikasumi no Tate, I probably would've lost both of my arms." He bent over and picked up the scraps of his hat. He didn't look back up as he held the shredded fabric in front of himself. "You two completely destroyed my hat!"

Shiro scoffed as he shifted Ichigo in his arms, the oranget's head resting comfortably against his shoulder. The oranget was three quarters asleep already, and only kept himself awake in case he needed to continue to fight.

Kisuke sighed and put his hand up to block the light from reaching his eyes. "Both of you are really scary kids."

The shopkeeper watched as Shiro turned his head towards his colorful counterpart, murmuring to the nearly comatose teen. "You did great, Aibou. You can sleep now, it's over." Ichigo's face relaxed into a light frown, Zangetsu dropping from his hand to impale the ground as he clutched at the white fabric of Shiro's Shihakushō.

"Lesson three, passed." Kisuke whispered to himself, two deep trenches running parallel to each other in front, beside, and behind him._ 'They can double their potential and have a chance against __**him**__!'_

* * *

><p>And Chapter 3 done! Wow, that took a while… So sorry for the wait! You guys might have a few questions about the whole <strong>bold<strong>_**-italic-**__**underline**_ thing. Well, I did that to show that Zangetsu, Ichigo, and Hishiro were all speaking at the same time. Since **Zanpakutō and Hollow talk** is bold, and _Ichigo thoughts/Inner talk_ are italic, I made _**Hollow Ichigo thoughts/Inner talk**_ bold-italics. Since I had to show all three of them talking at the same time, I made the bold **Hishiro**, the italics _Ichigo_, and the underline Zangetsu. Thus, all three of them said _**"Sakibe,"**_! See how that works? That also goes for Ichigo and Shiro screaming "_**Zangetsu!"**_ together. That wasn't Shiro saying Zangetsu's name through their 'link'.

Feel free to ask any questions! I'm open to any suggestions you guys have on my problem or on how to better my writing and make your reading experience better.


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